Shelters are used in various environments, such as on golf courses, beaches, recreational parks, and in the work environment. In most cases, it is highly desirable that the shelter afford a high degree of structural strength to accommodate various environmental stresses, such as high wind loads, or snow loads. In addition, the shelter components should be easily and inexpensively fabricated, and capable of easy assembly. The shelter should be comprised of durable materials and afford an overall shape and appearance which is aesthetically pleasing.
In an effort to simplify the design, reduce the cost of assembly, and still provide a structurally strong, attractive structure, some shelters are constructed with a single vertical support post, or column. The roof may take on various forms such as that of a round, cone-shaped cover, or a hip roof. Examples of shelters having a single vertical support with a cone-shaped roof, and thus having the general shape of an umbrella, can be found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 244,058 to Hoek; 2,466,585 to Korman; 2,485,118 to Simpson; 2,577,317 to Eschrich; 4,023,582 to Buzzella et al.; and 4,677,796 to Mellott. All of the shelters disclosed in the aforementioned patents include a cone-shaped roof comprised of rigid material, such as wood, metal, or plastic. The roofs generally are comprised of a plurality of flat members extending radially from the central support column, and having the form of a sector, where adjacent sectors are connected together and arranged in an overlapping manner. Umbrellas having a cloth or fabric cover generally offer more flexibility in structural design as well as in the design and color of the shelter's cover. However, shelters having a fabric cover and in the general form of an umbrella typically have only limited structural strength and must be taken down in windy conditions to avoid tearing and destruction of the cover.
The present invention addresses the aforementioned limitations of the prior art by providing an umbrella-shaped shelter having a single vertical support column and a fabric cover, or roof, which is securely attached to an upper portion of the shelter's structural frame in a manner which allows tension on the fabric cover to be adjusted for optimum fabric wear.